Once Upon a December
by Aveira
Summary: Through tragedy she found strength, but will it be enough? Aeriseph, TifaXZack, Yuffentine...T for Language.
1. Sunday Afternoon

**Sunday Afternoon**

_Aerith Gainsborough was finally happy in her new life and surrounded by the people who loved her. Armed with her flowers and an unconquerable love for all things she was finally moving on…until a late night visit turns her world upside down. When three homeless boys wreak havoc on her perfectly restructured world, will she help them out or be forced to turn them away?_

**_lots of errors...sorry_**

* * *

Sunday was always a good day for her, she had plenty of time to herself and plenty of time to tend to her flowers. She sat outside her favorite coffee shop sipping tea and watching. It was one of her favorite things to do, sometimes she had the opportunity to see someone do something amazing and kind, other times it was at least funny to see other people awkwardly interact with one another. Two new lovers on a first date, or an elderly couple taking a stroll through the park. She was fortunate in that she rarely saw them fight. Argumentative people, she assumed, must not come to the park on Sundays.

She ran a flower shop the rest of the week, it was her little piece of heaven. Her flowers were her salvation in the face of a terrible loss. She'd once had everything, a home, a loving family, everything she'd ever wanted…and now she had only the lilies. She didn't mind so much, they were the last thing Tseng had given her, they were sacred in her eyes.

Aerith stared out at the park, watching a young girl bounce from bench to bench, pestering other park goers, and laughing all the while. She hadn't noticed anyone approach her or even heard her name being called.

"Aerith…Aer? You in there?" A hand waved back and forth before her eyes, startling her.

"Wha-sorry, Tifa…I didn't even hear you." Aerith laughed lightly, slightly embarrassed.

"I'm not surprised." Tifa replied with an amused smile. "So, who are you watching today?" She plopped down in the chair next to the flower girl.

"That little girl, with the purple ribbon in her hair." She motioned with a nod toward a young girl in a red and yellow skirt with a matching jacket that hardly seemed to cover her shoulders. The girl pivoted suddenly on one foot, her blond braid flying around behind her. Her eyes were clear blue and her smile was full of mischief.

"She reminds me of Yuffie." Tifa chuckled as she watched the girl slip a piece of paper and a few gil out of a mans pocket as he nearly bowled over her. "Yep, definitely Yuffie."

Aerith smiled over the brim of her cup. "Think she's homeless?" She wondered aloud.

"Nah." Tifa's eyes narrowed as she carefully scrutinized the girl. "Her clothes are well maintained, she's clean and her hair isn't matted. She looks healthy enough, she isn't so thin her ribs show…but she could very well be an orphan." Tifa finished, glancing at Aerith.

Aerith nodded, watching as the girl examined a handful of paper and gil, laughing to herself as she held up a particularly interesting piece of paper. She stuffed her 'loot' into a bag on her hip and ran off to the far side of the park.

"So…Zack has asked me to move in." Tifa said suddenly, shifting nervously in her seat.

"_What_?! I hope you said yes!" Aerith practically leapt out of her seat. "That's great, aren't you excited? I'm excited, gosh that's so exciting. Have you told Yuffie? I can call her, want me to call her so you can tell her? Oh, she's going to be so exc-" Aerith babbled on excitedly before Tifa stopped her.

"Aer, relax!" Tifa laughed. "I just told Yuffie, she said something about stealing Zack's hair gel and ran off." Tifa and Aerith exchanged concerned glances before succumbing to another fit of laughter. Tifa gave her a bright, happy smile. "And yes, I did, he wants to start this weekend…Cloud said he'd help, too." Tifa bounced in her seat. "Gods, Aer, he's so amazing and wonderful…Ugh, I sound so _cheesy_! But, Shiva help me, I am so completely and utterly in love with him." Tifa gushed.

"How's Cloud handling losing her 'roomie'?" Aerith waggled her eyebrows at Tifa. They both laughed.

"You mean live in maid? Sweet lord, I don't care…he'll have to learn how to use the 'Swifer' and cook for himself eventually." She rolled her eyes. "You'd think, at some point, his survival instincts _at least_ would kick in but _nooo_, not Choco-butt. If I wasn't there he would literally live in a landfill, hell they'd probably condemn the place." Aerith laughed at that, knowing first hand just how lazy the blond could be.

"Maybe you can con Vincent into moving in with him, or Cid." Aerith suggested, glancing back out at the park. Tifa smirked, imagining Vincent with an apron and dust mop.

"Vincent would kill him, he can't stand anything being dirty or out of place. I'm honestly surprised he tolerates the bar as well as he does. Cid smokes, and besides that, Shera wouldn't want to." Tifa folded her hands in her lap and propped her feet up on an empty chair. "You know, it's funny. He's more excited about all this than I think I am. Ever since Cloud introduced us he's been pushing for everything, from the first date to me moving in. I told him yesterday and he practically tackled me saying 'For the love of Holy, move in!'. It was a little weird." Aerith only smiled at Tifa.

"Zack and Cloud have been friends since they were just babies. He's the closest thing to family Cloud has left, it means a lot to him to see Zack so happy." Aerith finished with a sip of her now cool tea. "That and Cloud wants his bachelor pad back to himself."

Tifa gasped in mock shock. "Cloud? Want me out? Oh, say it ain't so!" Tifa and Aerith giggled at their own joke.

They sat talking about Tifa's move, Zack's new bike, Cloud and his 'sloppy-go-lucky' attitude. Aerith watched the park while she rambled on about the bar, Vincent and his unnerving ability to attract incredibly old and flirtatious women, including one that had caused the subtle and normally reserved gunman to not only blush, he fumbled his way upstairs and locked himself in Tifa's office for two hours.

"He was so red, Yuffie couldn't stop laughing long enough to get a whole sentence out. You should have been there!" Tifa flailed her hands wildly. "The woman wouldn't quit badgering him for sex, and she wasn't even a little subtle." She mimicked her best 'old lady voice', "Hey, handsome…I bet you're a wild one in the sack, wanna have a go?" Aerith choked on her tea and laughed till her eyes watered. "She was rubbin' up on his arm and I believe there was even a grope or two in there. Really, it's only fair. I mean, Yuffie and I have to deal with crap like that all night…I can't believe how many women have tried to get in his pants and none of them are under fifty!" Tifa slapped her hand on the table.

"What about Yuf?" Tifa's easy smile became a full fledged 'evil grin'.

"He watches her all night and yet wont even talk to her when we close, it's very strange. Well, actually they spent a half hour locked in my office. Yuffie had managed to get in through a window and managed to talk him out of the bloody office. It was a lot like pulling teeth, he was practically terrified that old creep was still waiting for him down by the bar. Yuffie grabbed him by his metal arm and he nearly threw her back out the window…it didn't really end well now that I think about it, but it got him out of _my_ office. We'll see if he shows up tonight." Tifa sighed and shook her head, suddenly the horny old cow hitting on big tough guy Vincent wasn't so funny.

"Does he just hate her or what?" Aerith asked, feeling defensive for the younger woman. "She does nothing but nice stuff for him and he treats her like she's the biggest calamity to ever hit the northern continent…" Tifa's mahogany eyes shimmered in the fading light as the sunset.

"I know, she says it doesn't bother her. She seems to think he's 'warming up' to us, even if he doesn't seem to like her. But that can't be! I've seen him, _seen_ him blatantly ogling her as she serves the customers, pours drinks, and even when she's doing nothing at all but sitting at the bar yakin' it up with Cid. He can't tear his eyes off of her, I don't understand why he can't just get off his 'I'm so tortured it's emo' ass and at the very least say hi to the woman." Tifa glared, remembering the look of shock and hurt flashing in Yuffie's eyes the night before.

"He'll come around, just like Zack did. I remember when Zack could hardly be in your presence without getting panicky and flustered. He was love struck from the beginning, but he couldn't even complete a sentence if you talked to him." Tifa smiled at the memory.

"Well hopefully Vincent wont make her wait another two years before he asks her out, he may not have the time he thinks he does with her." Aerith lifted an eyebrow in question.

"Oh? And who, pray tell, has set their sights on miss Yuffie?" She set her cup down and toyed with a wayward lock of her chestnut hair.

"Who do you think?" Tifa gave a sarcastic grin.

"Ew…isn't Denzel like, what, fifteen?" Aerith made a face of complete disgust.

"No! _Reno_, he's been coming by a couple times a week and always asks for Yuff's to serve him. She hasn't said anything, but I know he's been flirting with her…that sly dog!" Tifa made a comical face.

After a while both women rose, heading back out to the street. "Just make sure Vincent see's it, see what he does. Does Reno come in when he's working?"

"Not usually, once he did and Vincent was obviously displeased. I just thought that was because he had to do most of Yuffie's job too." Tifa nodded to herself thoughtfully. "You could be on to something there, Aer. Oh, before I forget, Zack and I are having a house warming dinner next week, can you make it?"

"Sure." She smiled softly.

"Good, there's this ridiculously good looking man you just have to see." Tifa giggled at Aerith's mock gagging. "Don't say anything until you see him, he's Zack's mentor, or one of them anyway." Aerith nodded dismissively before turning to leave.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there. Have fun tonight, tell Yuffie I'll be by around nine. Barrett said something about coming by to see Elmyra tonight, I'll have him drop me by." Tifa nodded and both girls went their separate ways. Tifa to her bar and Aerith to her little shop. As she rounded the corner, heading down to her shop she saw the young girl from the park, she was happily bouncing around a woman roughly Tifa's age smiling and laughing. Aerith smiled at the sight as the two headed for a parked car. The girl caught her eye, and for a moment they simply stared at one another before Aerith smiled and nodded her greeting. The girl grinned and smiled brightly at her as she walked by.

She made it down to the shop, watered her flowers quickly and locked everything up before once again heading out the door. This time she made her way toward her apartment two blocks away. It was a warm night so she had opted to walk the short distance. Edge during the day was a relatively lovely small town, by night it was completely different. There wasn't an over abundance of crime or anything, but there was the occasional kidnapping or mugging. As she neared the front entrance to her apartment building she could smell the alcohol and filth wafting off the man before she even saw him. She wrinkled her nose at the foul smell as she carefully walked around him and up to the door.

"Wha' ya doin' out here, lady?" He slurred dangerously close to her.

"I was just heading home, sir." She didn't turn around as her key slid noiselessly into the lock. She slowly twisted the key as he took another stumbling step toward her.

"Got any extra gil? Huh, lady?" She nearly gagged on his breath and rancid body odor…and yet the pleading tone of his voice stopped her.

Her mother had always told her to _'do unto others as you would have them do unto you'_. She sighed heavily and turned, retracting the key from the lock. She took in the man once more and noted he was ghastly. His skin was thin and stretched tight against his gaunt cheeks, he had maybe three or four teeth that she could see with his head bowed. Judging by his breath he probably didn't put much stock into oral hygiene. She fumbled around in her pockets and her bag until she found her coin purse. She pulled a twenty gil note out and went to hand it to him. She caught his stare, saw the tragic combination of disappointment and gratefulness. Turning back to her coin purse she sighed a second time. She had plenty of money, gil was never a problem for her. He had nothing but the filthy clothes on his back. He didn't look as though he'd showered in the last month, he probably wasn't eating regularly and when he did eat it was more than likely someone else's trash.

"Here…just take the whole thing." She handed the coin purse over, smiling at the look of absolute relief. "Would you like a shower? I can find you a change of clothes as well…if you need them."

"Uh..m-miss? Are…but…" He fumbled with his words, clearly shocked. "I wouldn't wanna be a bother." He shied away from her, taking a slow step back.

"Really…it's no trouble. We have an extra room for rent, you could use it for a good night sleep and a shower." She clenched her hands against her stomach, inching closer as he backed away. "Please?" He stopped, slowly lifting his gaze to hers. His eyes were a pale green, the most beautiful color she'd ever seen…and he seemed so young now that she saw him full on. He smiled a bit shyly, revealing a rather filthy and yet surprisingly full, set of teeth.

"I'd love to, miss…but my brother's need me. It was my night to get food…" He ducked his head once more.

"How old are you?" She cocked her head to one side, eyeing him carefully.

"I'm sixteen, miss." What she had previously thought to be matted hair slid off his head and revealed itself as a ratty old hat. His hair, though matted and dirty, was the strangest color she'd ever seen. Silver, as though living on the streets had aged him so drastically he'd gone grey in childhood. "My brothers'…they's eleven and six…they're-" He turned to point in the direction of the skeleton of what was going to one day be another apartment complex when he spotted someone walking toward their hideout. He shot her a panicked glance before turning and running as fast as he could toward the building. In his haste he dropped the coin purse. Aerith reached for him a second too late, yelling after him as he ran.

"NO!! STOP!!" She screamed, suddenly struck by the same panic that apparently gripped him. She heard several doors flying open and heavy feet pounding down the stairs.

"Barrett! Barrett!!" Aerith ran after the boy without a second thought, catching sight of a large black shadow running behind her.

"Where's he heading?" Came an impossibly calm voice.

"The abandoned complex! Hurry, Nanaki, I think someone is after them!" She shrieked, gasping for breath as she struggled to keep up with her four legged companion.

"Aer! What'n the hells all the shoutin' for?!" Barrett's deep voice bellowed behind her.

"This boy! I have to find the boy!" She tripped, flying forward and subsequently colliding with a very small, warm object.

"Hey…HEY!! Get offa me!" She heard a voice shout angrily beneath her. As she moved to stand another solid body hit her, tackling her to the ground.

"Get 'way from my brother!" This one felt much sturdier than the body she'd fallen haphazardly over.

"I'm sorry! I was looking for the-" She caught sight of sea green beneath all the muck and grime on the boys face.

"What are you doing here?!" Came a shocked voice.

"Please do not run, it is tiresome to chase you and we mean you no harm." The boy jerked violently away from the voice, stumbling over the still crouched body of his brother and falling to the ground.

"Oh, Gaia…that cat _talked_!" His eyes were wild and wide, terror marring his features.

Aerith, sensing something was terribly wrong, stood and ran forward, helping the boy to his feet before scooping the smaller boy on the ground up into her arms. "I'll tell you all about Nanaki when we get inside, now run!" She took off toward her building, Barrett having helped the other boy back to his feet and coming up behind them. They could hear distant shouts and something being broken into. The boy in Aerith's arms whimpered in fright.

"Mommy…I wan' my mommy." Aerith felt her heart ache for him.

They ducked into the building, Aerith slamming the doors and quickly engaging all the locks. She and Barrett ushered the kids upstairs, the small one in her arms refused to be put down so Aerith sat herself down and simply held onto him, squeezing him securely within her arms. She ignored the smell, looked past all the black and brown filth coating his hair and skin and clung to him, whispering soothingly against his hair.

The older two stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, alternating wary glances between Barrett and his mechanical arm and that cat like animal with the flaming tail sitting beside them.

"I am Nanaki…I apologize if I frightened you." He slowly inclined his head toward the eldest boy.

"What…are you?" He asked, cautiously reaching out to touch the large animals head.

"That is not important…What are your names?" He took a slow step forward and was rewarded with a gentle scratch behind his ear.

"My name is Kadaj…that's Loz, and Yazoo is the youngest." The boy pointed to each one in turn. Aerith smiled warmly at the boys.

"Welcome to my home, now…you three look like you could each use a good wash. I can show you two to the spare rooms and you can shower. I'm sure Denzel and Barrett can fish out something for you two to wear." Her smile was contagious and Barrett noticed Kadaj was beginning to relax, leaning heavily against Nanaki. Loz swayed slightly, yawning as he did.

"'m sleepy…" He murmured to Kadaj. Kadaj nodded once and smiled back at Aerith.

"Thank you, the police don't like us living in that old building…" He answered sheepishly. Aerith refrained from asking anything further, instead she opted to usher them off toward separate bathrooms.

"Barrett, can you and Denzel-" He nodded before she could finish, ruffling the little boy in her arms hair as he walked off, shouting for Denzel once he was just out side the door.

"Mother…where…are you?" She sighed heavily as the youngest boy clung tighter to her, whimpering again.

"Hush now, little one…you're safe now. You're safe now…" She made her way into her room, fishing through old t-shirts until she found one that was plain white. She started for her own bathroom to start a bath for the youngest when her phone rang. Still unable to detach the boy she sighed and went to answer it.

"Hello?" She shifted from foot to foot.

"_What's going on?" _A young woman's slightly accented voice came through the reciever.

"You are absolutely freaky, Yuffie." Aerith laughed. "How do you always know just when to call?"

"_Ninja…Aer, I am a n-I-n-j-a. That and I'm kinda freaky that way…why, did I actually catch you in the middle of some obscenely awkward moment?" _Aerith could practically feel Yuffie's smile radiating on the other end of the phone.

"Three boys, I personally never planned on having children, but I am currently housing three homeless boys." She smiled sweetly as Yazoo slowly lifted his head at the mention of her housing them. "I suppose I'll bring them with me when I come down tonight…it was the strangest thing, Yuf." Aerith started as she made her way back toward the bathroom. Yazoo glanced at the water and then at her, his face pink with embarrassment.

"_Really? What happened…Hey wait a minute." _Aerith waited patiently as Yuffie processed what she just said. _"Did you just say you __**adopted**__ three homeless boys?!" _There was a brief struggle on the other end of the line before another familiar voice spoke.

"_Aerith, are you alright?" _Tifa sounded worried.

"Yes, yes…we're fine. I'm trying to get Yazoo to take a bath but he seems a little disinclined to undress in my presence." Aerith cocked her head curiously to one side, earning a small smile from the boy.

"_Is he an infant? You can probably let him bathe alone…just sit in the other room. Explain how in the world _you _wound up with three boys. You know, they aren't like puppies….I know you love to help people and give to the needy, Aer, but this is radically different." _Tifa's voice was filled with concern. _"…do you need any help? I can have Yuffie run the- fine, I'll take you with me! Sheesh, I can just close the bar tonight." _Tifa laughed at something Yuffie said.

"I don't know…someone was after them, Tifa. One of the boys said it was the police, but this guy sure didn't look like any police officer I've ever seen." Aerith felt worry and fear knot in her stomach. "This was someone else…" There was a pause on the line. Aerith heard Tifa mumble something before she spoke again. Her demeanor had changed so suddenly it caught Aerith by surprise.

"_I'll have Yuffie and Vincent head there straight away. I'll go pick up Zack and we'll be right behind them. Are you ok now? Did anyone see you four? Is Barrett still there? Have him stay with you, he'll know what to do should anything unexpected happen before we arrive." _Tifa spoke with such authority Aerith thought perhaps she was speaking to another person all together. Maybe Tifa knew something about these boys. Granted, it was odd they had silver hair and mako green eyes but that was about it. Aerith had to refrain from hanging up on her friend out of sheer fright.

'_What if I'm only putting these children at risk by telling her?! Holy, what have I done?!' _Aerith's hands trembled violently as she stared at the phone.

"_Aerith…was the man chasing them, was he wearing a suit? Was he alone? Aerith?" _Tifa seemed to sense her distress and her tone changed again with a sigh. _"Honey, you have to pull yourself together and answer me right now. Zack wont be able to help if you wont give me anything to go on. If someone is after those boys and he's in the area odds are he closing in on you as we speak. You don't need to be afraid of _me_ Aer…I would never do anything to hurt you or anyone you deem worthy of protection." _Aerith took in a shuddering breath, seeing the logic in her argument.

"Just Barrett and Nanaki, I don't think that man saw us…but then again I wouldn't be surprised. Who would chase after these poor children, Tifa?" Aerith found some relief in the sounds of Yazoo splashing playfully in the bathtub. She'd filled it with bubbles, nearly four times as many as she'd intended thanks to her nerves, though he seemed to be having quite a time with them. "We'll be here under lock and key, you have the spare?"

"_Better…I have Yuffie. She and Vincent could steal the shirt off your back and you'd never notice. They're already out the door and on the way. Hang tight, Aer…"_ Tifa ended the call.

Aerith ducked out of the room and found Denzel standing in the hall. "Do you have any old pajamas or know anyone with pajamas for a small six year old?" The boy nodded, handing a jacket to Kadaj and running down the hall.

"Thank you, miss…" He started shyly.

"Aerith." She smiled back.

"I'm sorry?"

"My name is Aerith…and you are very welcome. I have a friend coming by to see if she can help me out, her name is Tifa. In the mean time, would you care to explain why you were running from that man?" She gently coaxed Kadaj back toward her bedroom so she was within earshot of Yazoo.

* * *

_Another random something or other…I have this whole thing somewhat planned out and I kinda like it…which is why I'm posting it. Tifa/Zack because Valentine'sninja inspired me, Yuffie is working on Vincent…but I haven't decided if she's going to wind up with him. Aerith and some super smexy man, and the little girl she's watching in the park? Yep, it is Kidd from Chrono Cross. As you've probably noticed I took a few liberties with the three remnants. This story is fairly AU, some things are the same or similar to the game/movie storyline though._


	2. Green Eyed Surprise

**Green Eyed Surprise**

_Is love enough?_

* * *

"Why were you running?" Aerith patted the spot beside her, pleased when Kadaj took a seat. He frowned, and she thought she saw tears building behind his eyes. "What was that man?" Aerith asked quickly.

"He is a TURK…they killed our mother." He started, speaking in a whisper.

"Who was your mother?" Aerith had a feeling she wasn't going to like this answer, something seemed so incredibly out of place with these three boys but she couldn't seem to put her finger on it.

"Jenova." His green eyes glittered with emotion as he watched her expectantly. Aerith felt her breath catch in her throat as hot tears burned her eyes.

Kadaj watched, his eyes suddenly cold and calculating as he studied her. Her fright gave way to something he wasn't accustomed to seeing. She tentatively brought a hand to his cheek and smiled through her tears.

"I knew your mother…"

* * *

'_Run, Aerith…run baby. Don't look back, just run!' Ifalna's voice was filled with terror as she shoved Aerith out the hidden door._

'_IFALNA! Give me that brat!' Another woman screamed from the other room. Aerith ducked out the door and ran as her mother instructed. She knew she was fast for a seven year old, but no one could outrun _those_ men. They wore suits, as though they were going for a meeting in the office…she wouldn't have expected them to start shooting at everyone. _

'_Not on your life, Jenova…' Her mothers voice was suddenly calm. Aerith found a safe place to hide in one of the covered tunnels. She and her father built them, she thought, for fun. They led all around the facility and this one led right out into the middle of the forest surrounding the area. She had supplies and a chocobo tied up there for her and her mother…she glanced back at the building. _

'_Mommy…' She whispered, watching with some sort of morbid fascination as that Jenova woman approached her mother. They looked so alike it was eerie. Ifalna had beautiful deep chestnut brown hair and emerald green eyes. Jenova had hair the color of pure mercury, her eyes were the same shade of emerald as her mother…_

'_Dear sweet sister…this could all end so painlessly if you'd just hand her over.' Aerith felt bile rise up in her throat, unable to move forward. From where she sat she saw the gun behind Jenova's back as she spoke to Ifalna._

'_Not a chance, you mean to harm her…she is my daughter and I will protect her with my life, you monster!' Ifalna dove for the door to lock Jenova in with her. A noise like Aerith had never heard rang out through the night, her voice left her and she froze in shock as her mother sunk out of sight before the silver haired woman._

'_She was never yours…' Jenova kicked the body out of her way and made for the door. As soon as she was gone Aerith bolted for her home, toward her mother when someone tackled her bodily to the ground._

'_No! You cannot go back there!' A deep voice whispered harshly in her ear. 'You can never go back…' She couldn't seem to get her voice to work, her eyes burned with tears that wouldn't come, and all she could smell was gunpowder and lead. The man hefted her back up and shoved her roughly back into her hiding place. She looked up and saw his face. He was young and Wutainese, his hair pulled back out of his face and tied at the base of his neck and his eyes were as black as pitch. 'Run, you foolish child! Run!' She sat for a half second before she found the strength to move and rushed down the tunnel and away from the man. He wore a suit like the others, though he didn't shoot her. She didn't bother turning around to ask him why…she ran. Her father had been killed in front of her mother, and her mother shot by her sister. Aerith tried hard to force the image of her mother's frightened face out of her memory, tried to think of some other sound other than the deafening roar of that gun._

'_Tseng! Did you find anything?' She froze in the tunnel. She knew that name…he was one of the elite, the second highest ranking TURK. Now she recognized the suits…she felt the urge to vomit and held her breath._

'_No, sir. I shall keep looking.' A loud crash indicated she could no longer go back. She didn't have much time before they found the other side of her escape tunnel so she ran…and prayed._

* * *

"Aerith, someone s'knockin' the damn door down!" She heard Barrett shout. She stood suddenly, leaving Kadaj sitting on her bed alone with only the sounds of Yazoo playing happily in the bathtub full of bubbles.

Aerith stopped short turning back to him. "I won't let them find you, Kadaj…I promise." Her eyes held a sorrow he knew well. He nodded once, ducking into the bathroom with Yazoo. She heard the boy squeal excitedly at the sight of his brother. She sighed with a small smile and shut her door, locking it behind her. Fear welled up in her stomach as she approached the door. She shot Barrett a questioning glance, he nodded and held up his metal arm. She watched in silent surprise as gears shifted and rotated, changing his arm from a useful hand to a dangerous looking gun.

"Don't you think _that's_ a bit excessive?!" She whispered in a gruff tone, nodding toward his arm.

"Ain't gonna take a chance this fool is the one lookin' for them kids." He responded in a calm, low tone. Aerith sighed and reached for the door again, startled when whoever was on the other side again began pounding away.

"_Seriously, flower girl!!! OPEN THE FREAKING DOOR!"_ Aerith jumped scrambling to unlock the door and flung it open. Yuffie and a man she supposed must have been Vincent stood there. "Freaking jerk wouldn't let me use my fantastical door unlocking skills to get in." She waved dismissively at the man beside her. "Vincent, Aerith…Aerith, Vincent." Yuffie walked into the entry way and right into Barrett's gun. "Leviathan love a duck! What the hell-"

"_Language…_" Vincent's deep voice stopped the girl in her tracks. She turned slowly and smiled sheepishly at him.

"I told it you it was excessive." Aerith frowned, hands on her hips. Barrett simply shrugged as his arm changed back into the metal hand.

Aerith shut the door and carefully engaged all the locks before turning back toward Vincent and Yuffie.

"I'm sorry, your name was Vincent?" She folded her hands against her stomach nervously. He was tall and intimidating in all black. He wore a black button down shirt and leather pants and heavy boots. His hair was long and wild, held out of his face with a strip of scarlet red material, seeming in contrast with the rest of his all black attire.

"Yes." He stood back a bit, offering no introductory handshake or any indication that he was pleased to be standing in her apartment in the slums. In fact, she even thought he seemed a bit disgusted. He frowned and took a careful inventory of the flaws surrounding him. The pealing paint, dingy walls, creaky doors…at least the flowers were bright and cheerful.

"Look, I know it isn't much, but it's home." She stated abruptly, catching him by surprise. Yuffie giggled behind her.

"Don't waist your breath, he's a shmuck. He doesn't like anything…" Yuffie turned and headed up the stairs. Denzel came out of one room with pajamas and clothes piled high in his arms. Yuffie followed him, picking up the things that fell.

"I apologize…I meant no disrespect, Miss Aerith." Vincent bowed his head slightly and Aerith blushed at the formality. "There are several points of entry-"

"It ain't an issue…" Barrett growled out, suddenly taking a defensive stance between Aerith and Vincent. "What's yer last name, man?" Vincent was obviously taken aback, Aerith assumed it had to do with the fact that Barrett's arm was once again changing back into a gun.

"It's Valentine…put that away Barrett. There is no need for violence, of this I can assure you." Came the calm voice of Nanaki. He sat just behind Vincent, staring up at his back. Vincent, however, kept his attention on the man with a weapon fused to his body.

"What does his last name have to do with anything? Barrett, put that thing away before you hurt yourself…for Holy sake." Aerith glanced apologetically up at Vincent. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's gotten into him. He's usually very-"

"Aerith, he's a TURK!" Barrett shouted, yanking Aerith out of reach of the leather clad man. Nanaki growled in frustration and stepped out in front of Vincent. "That bastard is one of da worst of 'em…Valentine 'The Bloody', they called 'im." Aerith felt her heart jump into her throat.

"What…?" Yuffie stood at the top of the stairs, her brown eyes smoldering with well restrained fury. Vincent sighed, shaking his head.

"I have not been a part of the TURK's for well over thirteen years." He kept his eyes trained on Barrett.

"Man, how old _are _you?" Barrett lowered his gun arm, mostly in shock.

"Technically I'm sixty one…physically I'm twenty nine." Vincent spoke slowly, as if he was giving up a part of himself.

"Oh shit!" Yuffie gasped in shock, a bright smile pushing through all her anger and confusion. "_That's_ why all those old ladies want to jump you!" She shrieked with laughter, thus destroying any tension between the lot at the bottom of the stairs. Aerith couldn't help a small chuckle bubbling up into a full fledged laugh.

"Yuffie…" Vincent fixed her with a glare that would have sent most people running, she however only laughed harder and clutched her sides as if she were in pain.

"So…sorry, Vinnie!" She gasped out.

Barrett found no humor in the situation and had been prepared to make the man leave or tie him up when Nanaki stepped forward.

"Vincent Valentine has been a friend for many years, Mr. Wallace. I _assure you_ there is nothing to fear here. If anyone, he is the one who could be trusted to keep these three boys safe and secret." Barrett opened his mouth to protest, however Marlene stood beside a still soggy Yazoo at the top of the stairs.

"Who's here?" Came a young boys voice. Aerith snapped out of her laughter instantly, and with speed that surprised even Vincent she was up the stairs with a small boy held protectively in her arms, the other two standing on either side of her. Marlene shrugged and made her way to Barrett.

"He missed his mommy…" She whispered, Barrett nodded and shushed Marlene.

Vincent's eyes widened at the sight of the three boys. He glanced quickly at Yuffie and Denzel, who were standing beside them with looks of shared surprise and concern.

"You can't hurt them…please, don't turn them in." Her voice was soft and pleading. Vincent stared a moment longer before looking to Yuffie, as if he were worried the children would strike out at her. She seemed to understand the look and ushered Denzel down the stairs and stood beside Marlene behind Barrett. "This is Yazoo," she kissed the little boys head. "Kadaj," She put a hand on his shoulder, he glanced back at her with a small smile. "and Loz." He stood out of reach beside Kadaj and seemed more on edge than the other two. "They were living in that heap across the way…Their mother was _murdered_ and they need our help." Aerith spit out the last sentence as if it physically hurt her to say it aloud.

* * *

Tifa drove to her apartment before going to Zack's. She was somewhat baffled by Aerith's seemingly erratic behavior. She understood the woman had issues, who didn't? There was something deeper there, though Aerith was adamantly opposed to talking about it. Tifa ran around the house grabbing a coat, some money, and her emergency medical kit. She ran to the door and stopped. After a moment she made her way up to her room and retrieved her gloves. She smiled at the familiar charge she felt just holding them. As an after thought she grabbed the pieces of Yuffie's Conformer. She'd asked Cloud to sharpen and polish the thing a few weeks back. It was lucky he'd finished it yesterday. She left a quick note telling him she was with Aerith and something strange had happened before dashing out the door with her arms full.

She pulled up to Zack's and saw he was waiting outside. He glanced up and motioned to his phone with an exasperated wave of his hand.

"Yes sir…I understand, and I _do_ appreciate the time off…No. I will return tomorrow at o' five hundred hours, sir. Agreed." Zack hung-up the phone.

"I don't know my mother insists I call her sir…" Tifa snorted at him, kissing his cheek.

"I don't mind you talking to your boss, Zack." He smirked down at her.

"Angeal gave me a few hours to assist you. What do you need me to do?" Tifa proceeded to explain what Aerith had told her about the three boys, how she'd found them and that they were being chased by a strange man. "They're really young, though. The oldest is sixteen and the youngest is six-" She cut herself off at the strange look Zack gave her.

"The middle boy is eleven…" Zack stared hard at Tifa. "Where are they? We won't have much time…" Zack grabbed her arm and forcibly lead her to the car. He saw the clean clothes and various medical supplies. "They wont need that stuff." he nodded toward the 'Emergency Medical Kit'. "I'll drive." Zack held the passenger door for her. "Who did you say went with Yuffie over there?"

"Zack what's going on? You're making me really nervous…" Tifa felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as he sped out of the drive way.

"_Who_, Tifa?! Who did you send with Yuffie!?" He practically shouted.

"Vincent! What the hell's wrong with you?" She snapped back.

"If I'm right, the guy chasing the boys is more dangerous than your ex-TURK barkeep." Tifa couldn't hide her surprise. "Of course I knew who Vincent was, love. It's the red eyes that gave him away." Zack smiled then. "He's tough, though…hopefully whoever it was won't think of starting a fight with him." He said with a heavy sigh as they neared Aerith's apartment complex. They ran up to the door, Tifa had the key ready and they charged through the door. Nanaki stood, back arched, between Vincent and Barrett. Marlene, Denzel, and a rather bored looking Yuffie stood behind Barrett while Aerith stood at the top of the stairs with the boys.

"ZACK!" Everyone shouted in unison. Vincent glanced around quickly, once again taking in his surroundings.

Aerith nearly dropped Yazoo when he began squirming. "Hold still, sweetheart." He mumbled something she couldn't get.

"It's Zack!" Kadaj carefully pried Yazoo from Aerith and the three made their way down the stairs into the black haired mans arms. "Where's Cloud? Is Angeal here too?" Kadaj tried to look behind Zack, catching Tifa by surprise. "Who's the pretty lady?" Loz elbowed his brother roughly in the side. "What? She's really pretty…" Zack laughed, tousling Kadaj's hair.

"She sure is, isn't she? This, boys, is Tifa Lockhart. How on Titan's green planet did you three escape?!" Zack easily swept Yazoo off his feet, brushing his long silver hair out of his eyes.

"_He _killed Jenova…it was enough of a distraction. We've been running from them for months and those TURK's keep finding us." Kadaj frowned. "I got out with my sword, everything else was lost."

"That doesn't matter, I can replace his metal gauntlet. I can't replace you three." Zack said sincerely.

"Technically you can…" Loz spoke up, his voice edgy and full of bitterness. "I mean, we're just clones…right?" Kadaj gave him a warning glare. "What? I'm just keeping it real. Yazoo actually thinks that horrible creature actually _loved_ him…" At the suggestion of their mother Yazoo again began to whimper.

"I miss mommy!" He wailed into Zack's neck.

"Loz, I know you're upset, but this isn't going to help you or your brothers. Please calm down…" Zack attempted to talk the angry boy down.

"Fuck that! They're just gonna make three more of us. And once that TURK catches us, 'cause you know he's gonna eventually, they'll put _us_ in those tubes and pump us full of mako!" He practically screamed at Zack and his brother's. Yazoo burst into tears and burrowed deeper into Zack's shoulder as Aerith carefully made her way down toward them. "What the hell do _you_ want?" He glared viciously at him. Aerith didn't say a word as she leaned forward and gently kissed his forehead. Loz stood in shock, not saying a word as she knelt and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight.

Kadaj placed a hand on Loz's shoulder and gave him a small smile. "They wont catch us…" Kadaj reassured, glancing down at Aerith. "She wont let them." Loz gradually allowed himself to relax into the embrace. Yazoo struggled briefly in Zack's arms before he was able to come to his brother's 'rescue'.

"Yazoo loves Loz." Yazoo stated softly. Loz shifted out of Aerith's embrace only to pull Yazoo in for a tight hug.

"Loz loves you too, kid." He whispered against the boys hair. He met Aerith's gaze this time without any animosity or glaring. Granted he still wouldn't smile for her, he at least nodded and whispered a 'thank you'.

* * *

Several hours later Yazoo slept peacefully in Aerith's bed with Loz while Kadaj stayed awake and alert.

"What's going to happen to them, Tifa?" Aerith asked in a whisper. Tifa shrugged.

"We need to call off that TURK. I wonder who that could be?" Zack thought for a moment. "Couldn't be Tseng, he rarely runs missions himself these days…" Aerith choked on her tea at that moment.

"Did you say Tseng?" Zack nodded. "I know him." Aerith felt the memory struggle to force itself to the surface.

* * *

_I went ahead and put in two chapters...any constructive criticism would be very much appreciated!! Review, it makes me happy :)_


	3. Building a Mystery

I totally thought I updated...This probably has tons and tons of errors, so sorry I read it over a few times but I know I didn't catch them all. Enjoy!! Sorry in advance for the shaky timeline, this is the only time it might be that way. Honest.

-

-

-

Aerith rose early, as she usually did, to greet the day. She made a quick mug of tea, toast, and made her way to the garden behind the building she lived in.

The building itself had seen better days. The paint on the walls had long since faded away to nearly nothing, there were cracks decorating the walls outside, and the insulation wasn't much to speak of…though it provided shelter for her and her makeshift family. It was comprised of four lofts. Hers was the one of the smallest. Barrett and Elmyra shared one with the kids, while Nanaki took the third one. The empty loft was left in the off chance that Tifa, Cloud, Yuffie or, Gaia help them, Cid and Shera stopped by.

She settled herself in one of the wooden chairs Cloud and Zack had handmade for her on her birthday three years back. She took in the honey sweet smell of her flowers, watched birds flitter around from plant to plant in an effort to find breakfast. The way they twittered and chirped she imagined them attempting to make small talk amongst themselves, perhaps chatting idly about the weather, what flowers would be blooming in her garden, or maybe they were spreading gossip about the other birds around town. She chuckled at the ridiculous thought. Birds sang, they didn't gossip, ask questions about the weather…they sang, and she smiled as she hummed to them.

"You have a beautiful voice." Aerith threw her cup down, not registering the porcelain shattering at her feet. She leapt away from the smooth voice behind her. A man stood there, coal black eyes and black hair haphazardly pushed away from his face. His lips drew back into a feline grin as he let his suit jacket come open, revealing two larger than average hand guns. She felt her blood run cold as she quickly realized just who and what he was.

"Y-you shouldn't sneak up on people like that." She admonished, pushing her fear back in an attempt to keep her head clear. "Trespassing is against the law."

"Ah, the law…well, since you brought it up, so is kidnapping and abduction." She felt the color drain from her face as her heart began to hammer wildly in her chest. _'He's going to kill them…'_

"You stay away from them…they're just _children_." She hissed at the man. His face registered brief surprise at her sudden show of aggression.

"And you are an acceptable casualty." His face twisted into a sickeningly satisfied grin as she began to tremble in fright. "Now, would you like to turn them over willingly? Or do I have to take them…by force?" Aerith took an involuntary step back as he took one forward, one hand hovering over a gun. He cast a glance upward at the sound of a little girls voice. "You're friends are counting on you, Aerith."

"How…?" She cut herself off when she couldn't stop her voice from trembling.

His smile made her skin crawl, reptilian and deceitful. She grabbed a hold of the first thing her hand came into contact with as she backed further into the doorway. A shard of glass from a window Denzel had accidentally broken only a week prior, she had forgotten the pieces where still there. Gathering her courage, Aerith let all pretense of bravery drop. She let him see that she was terrified, she was afraid for those boys and her own family…and that in itself gave her strength.

Yazoo called out to her, and even with only the few hours they'd had together, she knew the sound of Kadaj's foot steps followed by Marlene's giggling as they began their decent down the stairs. This man before her would kill them all, like they were nothing more than a _job_. Marlene, Yazoo, Denzel, Kadaj, Loz, Barrett, Nanaki….Elmyra.

"Aerith? Yazoo wants you to start a bath for….Where _are_ you?!" Kadaj grew impatient, he had such a quick temper.

'_Don't come down here, don't come down here…please, Gods…don't let him come down here.' _She clutched the glass tighter behind her back, breaking the skin.

She nearly fell over at the low rumble coming from somewhere just above her. The Turk, it seemed, was just as surprised. He had hardly had the chance to locate the sound when a mass of furious orange fur dove down on top of him. Snarling and snapping until finally getting a good grip on the mans arm. Nanaki held him down as best he could, his one eye watching Aerith, willing her to run. She glanced at her friend quickly, dashing behind her to gather everyone and do just that. She barreled through Loz and Kadaj, and yanked Yazoo up off the ground.

"_RUN!" _She shoved Loz toward Denzel. "Hurry, take them down to the church and call Zack. Go…_GO, Denzel!_" She hissed, shoving the boy as she heard the sounds of Nanaki and the nameless Turk below fighting. Denzel bolted for his closet, throwing open the trap door inside and instructing Marlene to go first. She took Yazoo's hand, and with some difficulty, pried him away from Aerith.

"It'll be ok, Yaz…She's going to protect us." Marlene whispered gently to the frightened boy. He sniffled once and turned to follow her.

Loz and Kadaj were less inclined to follow, however, and stood a moment longer watching the flower girl.

"We can fight, too, you know." Loz spoke softly. "Better than you could, I'm sure…" Kadaj cast his brother a glare.

"Rude, though he may be, Loz is right. We've been trained for this, Aerith. We're clones of some of the most prestigious fighters in all of SOLDIER history…" She waved her hand to silence him.

"I'm sorry but this isn't open to discussion…like Zack said, Kadaj, weapons, clothes, and even my bloody flowers can be replaced…" She cupped his cheek gently. "You are unique…_you_ are irreplaceable…now go before you are lost forever. Go protect them, Kadaj." She shoved him none too gently through the opening, turning to Loz. "Go, go and use your strength to protect them…Protect my family, Loz." She bowed her head respectfully. Marlene called out for them to hurry and Loz turned without a word, Aerith closing the door once more as he left. Barrett stood by the hallway, ready and waiting.

"I called Tifa…I didn't know who else to call, so I called her…I was so scared, Aerith!" Elmyra's hands trembled violently in Aerith's.

"Mother, it's going to be fine…they will be fine." A crash below them caught her off guard. "Nanaki is down there with him, we have to help him!" Aerith grew frantic by the second as the sounds increased in volume and intensity.

Barrett nodded once and slowly turned toward the stairs, walking purposefully down toward the fighting. Nanaki bellowed in pain as the man managed to kick him and sent him through the door way. Barrett lifted his gun arm as Nanaki attempted to stand, he heard the man laughing as he made his way toward Nanaki.

"Some watch _dog_ you turned out to be…I can see now I had nothing to worry about." He chuckled again, Barrett bristled with anger as the man stepped into view.

"Don't move." A cool voice commanded. Aerith heard the unmistakable _clink_ of metal. A large blade emerged from the shadows.

"Drop your weapons and show your badge, Turk." She instantly recognized Zack's voice and started down the stairs when someone stopped her.

"_Hush_…stay here, Aer…that man is dangerous!" Tifa whispered harshly in her ear.

"Nanaki is down there!" Aerith jerked free, bolting toward the fire cat.

The Turk's grin turned feral as he cocked the hammer back on his gun, Nanaki cast his one eye up to meet his. Suddenly, time seemed to stand still as Aerith threw all her weight into the man, knocking him off balance. Nanaki sprung to his feet, in defense of his friend, and Zack grabbed Tifa as she dove for Aerith.

Aerith and the Turk stared one another down for a moment. Slowly she let her eyes fall to where her hands now rested over his heart where the shard she had been carrying was now firmly imbedded. Her hands were coated in his blood and as their eyes met she saw he shared her surprise.

"_Brave little flower girl_…" His voice came out a harsh growl. She felt two strong hands practically yank her off the man as the voice from the shadows stepped into view, thrusting the sword down toward the man on the floor.

"Angeal, the children escaped Hojo's lab…he's ordered the DG's to kill them." Zack nodded at the injured man lying before them. Angeal nodded once, opening his PHS and punching a few keys before returning the device to his pocket. Two men in suits came in and quickly apprehended the injured rouge Turk lying on the ground.

"D...DG? What's that, who is that man? What the heck is going on here!?" Aerith shouted, her voice wavering.

"It's a soldier, a Turk still loyal to Dr. Hojo. 'DG' stands for Deep Ground, as in the Deep Ground initiative..." She paled suddenly, looking as though she would crumble and turn to dust with the slightest movement.

"Will that be all, sir?" The bald one stood at attention while a woman with short blond hair held onto their charge. Angeal nodded, waving them off quickly.

"You…you're a SOLDIER _aren't_ you?" She quickly covered her mouth.

"Indeed, Miss Gainsborough." She blushed furiously when he extended his hand in greeting. "Angeal Hewley , the pup here called in a favor. Am I correct in assuming you know where the three remnants have gone? It's very important that we find them." He spoke gently and Aerith felt herself growing nervous and more than a little uncomfortable around him. She turned quickly to Zack, who still held her shoulders.

"You brought one of the _Scarlett's_ men!? What if these are the same people that wish to hurt those boys?" She turned back to Angeal, trying not to let her nerves get the better of her. "I'm sorry, but with recent events I'm just not sure who to trust…" She stopped as Tifa clasped her shoulders gently.

"Who do you think has been helping these boys? They _are_ resourceful but even they have limits. ?" She smiled affectionately her frazzled friend.

"S'aight, kid. Zack wouldn't do nothin' that'd put anyone in harms way." Barrett spoke softly beside Elmyra, his good arm wrapped around her protectively.

"Barrett's right. Angeal is on our side, we just need to find those kids before those other men do." Tifa nodded to emphasize her point.

"I sent them to the church, Yuffie set up a specific escape route for the children in the event of an emergency, somewhere safe we could all go to meet." Aerith spoke softly, not meeting anyone's gaze.

"It's okay, Aer…I will protect them." Zack smiled suddenly. "You know how incredibly lucky they are to have found you? I mean, of all the people around here that could have stumbled upon them. How many people do you know that would just up and take in three strange boys? It must be fate…" Aerith lifted her head, meeting Zack's smile.

The week had been so chaotic she hadn't even stopped to think of that. She always had been very lucky. There were so many people in Edge, and though it was smaller than maybe Midgar and Nibelheim…the odds that _she_ would be the one to find those boys versus the rogue Tirk's were near astronomical…it was as if something was guiding them to her. She shook her head, forces beyond her control couldn't have possibly sent her three silver haired, mako eyed, and genetically perfect boys…could they?

"Aerith, what do you want us to do?" Tifa interrupted her musing suddenly.

"We need to get to the Church. Mother, you and Barrett should go to Seventh Heaven and tell Yuffie everything is alright." Barrett nodded when Elmyra couldn't, leading her out the front door toward his truck. Aerith turned to Nanaki and dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Nanaki, thank you…"

"Of course, Aerith. I could never let any harm befall you." He returned the gesture as best he could, wrapping one paw around her as he affectionately nuzzled her hair.

They made it to the church in time to see Marlene come running out from behind one of the pews, charging toward them as though her life depended on it.

"Where's my daddy? Where is he? Is he ok? Did the bad man get him?" Marlene launched herself into Tifa's arms, nearly knocking the woman off her feet.

"He's fine, dear heart…he and Elmyra are waiting for us at 'Seventh Heaven'…where is everyone else?" Tifa glanced around the old church. Denzel led Yazoo out from their hiding place, Kadaj and Loz following close behind.

Yazoo's eyes lit up at the sight of Aerith and with a sharp squeal of delight, he ran for her. She laughed and bit back a relieved sob as she met him halfway.

"Oh, thank Gaia you three are all ok." She held an arm out to Kadaj, who quickly accepted the gesture. Loz hung back, watching the trio with an unreadable expression. "I may not have earned your trust just yet, but I _am _relived you are safe." She held out her free arm as Yazoo buried his face in her stomach. Loz eyed her suspiciously a moment longer before moving toward her. She took his hand, squeezing gently. Yazoo spun around and latched onto Loz's other arm.

"See? Oneesan kept us safe." Aerith smiled affectionately at the young boy.

"Of course she did, you'll never meet a kinder, gentler soul." Zack walked toward the boys. "We've managed to get a message through to Sephiroth, he's going to have Tseng and his men neutralize the threat…Hojo will pay dearly for what pain he's caused you three." Zack's brow furrowed angrily. Aerith watched curiously as he spoke to Kadaj and Loz, not following any of what he was saying.

"It's the whole cloning process." Angeal spoke up suddenly, startling her.

"Pardon?" She turned to face him, Yazoo still clutching her hand and toying with the skirt of her dress.

"They are clones of Genesis, Sephiroth and myself. We had no idea _this_ is what that crazy scientist had planned. He tortured these boys, put them through all manner of dangerous tests…Yazoo, here, is supposed to be Genesis copy…in the event he should be injured or killed in the line of duty..." Aerith felt her stomach roil at the thought. "These…children…were no more than spare parts to him." There was an unmistakable glint of fury in the older mans eye as he spoke. "Kadaj, he's Sephiroth's clone…as you can see, they all have silver hair. That's probably due to the carrier, though."

"The 'carrier'? What…or who, is that?" Aerith smoothed Yazoo's hair back from his eyes, earning an affectionate smile from the green eyed boy.

"Jenova, she was one of Hojo's test subjects." Angeal spat her name out as if the word itself left a bad taste in his mouth.

"One of? Are there more?" Aerith frowned at the thought of that monster raising these three children. She wondered more about the other people involved. She vaguely remembered him, he'd been one of the men working for her father all those years ago. He had been married to that woman, _what was her name?_ She racked her brain for the answer.

"Myself, Genesis, Sephiroth…Vincent Valentine, who I am to understand works with your friend, Tifa." Aerith nodded absently. "It was not by choice, for some."

"Wasn't he married? I think I remember him, or his wife…" Aerith frowned, deep in thought. "I don't know why, but I seem to remember something happening with Vincent…It was so long ago."

"Lucrecia, yes. She was as warped as he was, in the end it ruined her." Angeal sighed. "She had been having an affair with Valentine." Aerith gasped at that. "He was in love with the woman, threw caution to the wind and was ready to give his life to 'save' her. She turned him in, Hojo shot him and thanks to her he's now stuck in time."

"What do you mean?" She watched Angeal, his expression softening into one of sympathy.

"He's practically ageless. After Hojo shot him he injected him with this experimental serum Lucrecia had developed…it was the equivalent to the fountain of youth. His cells regenerate at such an incredible speed he suffers no harm, he will always appear young…but that's just what's on the surface. He'll have to tell you the rest." Aerith felt a great swell of pity for the man.

"How terrible…Is that why he left the Turk's?" Angeal nodded slowly.

"When they found him he was a broken man…Lucrecia had given birth to a beautiful baby girl. A girl with Vincent's eyes and her hair…Hojo had killed them both." Angeal's expression hardened once more. "Hojo had kept him in stasis long enough to see Lucrecia through her pregnancy and then released him in time to hold his daughter as her life slipped away…"

Aerith felt something run down her cheek. Yazoo's head shot up as a droplet landed in his hair. She smiled gratefully at the boy as he wrapped his arms around her tighter, hugging her with all his tiny might. "What a terrible thing to live through…"

"Your own story is not much different, Aerith." Angeal answered, patting her shoulder. "I knew your father, Professor Gast. He was a good man…Hojo and his men got there first that night. As it turns out, we had a traitor on our side, one of our own Turk's."

"Tseng?" Angeal shot her a disapproving glare.

"Not at all…Tseng is loyal to the end. He wouldn't have spared you if he knew you were the one…no, it was Verdot." Aerith glanced up as someone called her name from the other side of the Church. She saw Kadaj waving her over, Vincent stood in the doorway beside Marlene and Barrett. Her mind raced with all the new information. "Go, you've already much to think over. I hope I haven't overwhelmed you…I told, _promised_, your father I would tell you the truth…when the time was right." Aerith shot him a surprised look.

"Why did you wait sixteen years, Angeal? Why did you leave me to think I was all alone…all these years. Does Elmyra know all this?" She felt her anger rising.

"No. She didn't want to know…I wanted to tell you sooner, vengeance came first." Aerith nodded and turned to leave. She stopped a short distance away, and glanced back over her shoulder.

"I never wanted that…I wouldn't have wanted Jenova to die, she could have rotted just as well in prison for her crimes. Death is the easy way out…She should have paid for the pain she caused everyone." Angeal nodded and shifted uncomfortably. Aerith turned and made her way to the exit, Yazoo bouncing around her excitedly as they caught up to the rest of the group.

* * *

Yuffie sat at the bar with Elmyra. She was pale, shaken, and refused to speak. Yuffie huffed and poured a glass of water.

"She's stronger than you think." Yuffie spoke gently. Elmyra's eyes darted up to her brown.

"Yes…she is." She answered absently. "That doesn't mean I'm not going to worry over my little girl." Elmyra offered a weak smile. Yuffie gave her hand a gentle pat.

"No, I suppose you wouldn't. Vince will protect her, he's good at that sort of thing." Elmyra's smile grew slightly. "He's saved me from the clutches of evil more times than I care to remember. He's a good man, and Zack is there…Zack would never let anyone lay a single angry hand on her. She's like a sister to him." Elmyra calmed some, her body beginning to lose its tension. "Tifa's a regular power house. She could knock those men clear into next week. I've seen her do it!" Yuffie waved her fist triumphantly.

"You certainly hold your friends in high regard." Elmyra chuckled at the younger woman's antics.

"Of course I do! They've all done so much for me…" She said softly.

She and Elmyra sat in a comfortable silence until the others made it back. Aerith ran over to her mother, hugging her for all she was worth as she wept against her shoulder.

"There, there my sweet…what's wrong? Are the boys alright?" Aerith quickly contained her sobs, nodding. "Then what are the tears for?"

"I'm just so…_so_ glad everyone is safe. Angeal says they won't be looking for the boys much longer…soon, everyone will be safe and sound."

"And not a moment too soon, I fully intend to have our house warming party." Tifa gave Zack a cocky grin.

"And so you shall." He answered with a laugh.

"Can we come?" Denzel and Kadaj asked in unison, grinning at one another.

"Everyone can come, we'll be celebrating three new members to our family as well." Tifa answered, ruffling Denzel's hair.

"Awesome! Marlene! We get to go to the party!" He ran off to find the young girl.

Nanaki made his way over to Aerith, who still seemed to be slightly shaken by whatever Angeal had said to her. The regarded one another for a moment before he gently nudged her hand. "I am here if you need me." He spoke so softly she had to strain to hear him.

"I know…thank you." She let her finger tips brush over his muzzle.

Yuffie sat back, watching everyone greet one another. She watched Vincent go right to work, as if he were on auto pilot. He began setting up the tables and bar stools. He meticulously cleaned each table, straightened the candle holders, and swept the floor. She idly cleaned the same shot glass over and over as she watched him. At some point he must have noticed, he glanced up and held her gaze for a moment. She didn't flinch or shy away, instead she gave him a small smile and returned to her work. Vincent frowned to himself once she looked away, he'd been surprised by her silence when they'd all come back and even more so when she didn't immediately seek him out. He shrugged inwardly and resumed his work.

Aerith stood and made her way to the back door of the bar. There was a small yard, a bench and a pit to cook in. She closed her eyes, blindly reaching out for some sort of comfort. To her surprise she felt something wrap around her mid section. She opened her eyes to see Kadaj standing before her, Yazoo's arms were wrapped tightly around her, and Loz put his hand on her shoulder. She smiled at them.

"You three…what will you do once they lock Hojo up?" She asked, stroking Yazoo's hair.

Loz and Kadaj exchanged a glance before turning back to her. "Well, we'd like to stay here, with you…if you don't mind." Kadaj gave her a nervous smirk.

"I'd like that." Aerith nodded enthusiastically. "I'd like that a lot." Words couldn't describe the joy she felt when Loz smiled, his first real smile.

* * *

By the end of the week Aerith managed to turn the spare loft into a suitable living space for the three boys. They each had their own bed and room, which Yazoo seemed less than thrilled about. Aerith lost count of how many times she'd found him curled up in bed with Loz. More than a few times she'd found Nanaki sleeping beside him, which of course he'd always tell her the boy had a nightmare and it was the only right. She figured Nanaki had become just as attached to the child as he had to the fire cat. All in all it was lovely, simple…they all seemed to get along well enough. Barrett found he had to get after Kadaj as much as Denzel and Marlene loved nothing more than tormenting Loz. He was an endless source of entertainment to her, much to Denzel's relief. The first forty eight hours she'd known these boys had been traumatic, and while it wasn't over yet it certainly seemed to calm down quite a bit. Angeal had ordered patrols be doubled in her district, as well as reinforced with SOLDIER back up. At least until Hojo had been found and was either dead or safely locked away.

Tifa had been going on and on for the last two days straight about her house warming party. Aerith sighed, she was beginning to dread the 'party'. Tifa had decided to put it off for a few weeks, she wanted to wait till things had settled down a bit first. Tifa had decided to have Aerith, Nanaki and the kids over for dinner. It was a way for her to help take Aerith's mind off the trauma of the last week and a half, and it was also an attempt to give Barrett and Elmyra some time alone together. Tifa had not, much to Aerith's displeasure, forgotten about the 'blind date' situation. She had, however, backed off quite a bit and Aerith had a sneaking suspicion he was one of those SOLDIER men that Zack worked for. She couldn't stop thinking about it, she was near sick with dread over the whole ordeal.

'_Oh, he's so handsome…he's a real nice guy, very smart…you'll just love him…you'll just die when you see him…'_ Aerith worried about that, she did tend to get nervous enough to faint and if she was uncomfortable with some over confident wako (which is just how Tifa made the guy out to be) she felt there was a definite possibility of her perishing. She'd been so lost in her own thoughts she hadn't heard Tifa come in and hadn't noticed her walk up behind her…

"Surprise!" Aerith jumped and yelped when Tifa grabbed her arm. "Sheesh, you really are a space case." Aerith gave her a wry smirk.

"I was _trying_ to relax after a hectic week, _Miss_ Lockhart." Aerith stuck her nose up with a grin.

"Ah, so you aren't out here worrying I've set you up with some psycho Zack works with? Or fretting over your precious flowers?" Tifa asked, giving her a knowing grin.

"Maybe a little of that, too. I'm just…I'm not sure I'm up for anymore surprises. What if your guy doesn't like me? What if I'm _too_ meek and mild for him?" She frowned at that. Cloud had always thought Aerith needed to be stronger, more courageous…which was near impossible for her. She could hardly stand up to spiders, much less mercenary Turk's and various other madmen.

"Relax, it was his idea anyway. Just…don't worry about it. He's a smart guy, he knows a good thing when he sees it." Tifa patted her shoulder, urging her back toward the house. "C'mon, I got something that ought to cheer you up." Tifa gave her a feline grin. Aerith jumped up and followed her back through the kitchen and into the sitting room. There sat Vincent, idly stroking Yuffie's hair as she slept, her head resting comfortably on his lap. "He's been there for most of an hour already, he doesn't want to move her because it might disturb her, and she needs her rest." Tifa gestured vaguely at the pair as she spoke.

"They make a nice couple, don't you think. She's the balance he's been searching for…" Aerith whispered wistfully. Tifa nodded her agreement. Both women made their way up the stairs, whispering goodnight to one another once more before slipping into their own rooms. Aerith giggled at the sight of Zack, black spikes in total disarray, smiling lazily at Tifa from the safety of their bed. For not the first time, she was thankful to have such an incredible family…


	4. A Chance of Romance

_Finally I got to update this thing! I hope you like it, I decided to jump ahead quite a bit. I couldn't get this to work any other way, so if it seems abrupt or like I left too much out, let me know. I just figured that I'd move on and kick start the main reason I wrote this, for Sephiroth and Aerith. I love writing Yazoo as a little kid. You should try it, he just seems like he'd be the perfect little toddler (looks wise, I know he's totally evil in the movie) I'm also enjoying writing them as something other than hero's on a quest to kill some big baddie, but enough of me ranting, enjoy and tell me what y'all think._

-

-

-

-

"Aeeeriith! I can't find my shoes and Yazoo wont put his pants on!" Kadaj called out in an exasperated voice. She chuckled as she handed Loz his coat. Loz handed Aerith the shoes in question and made his way down the hall to help Yazoo get his clothes on.

"Here, Loz will get your brother dressed." Kadaj smiled sheepishly at her warm smile.

"Thank you…Do I look ok? These pants don't look too, uh, dorky?" He cocked an eye comically at himself as he carefully inspected his attire.

"You look just fine, sweetheart. Not even a little dorky." She ran a hand through his hair as he turned around. His smile faltered a moment. She watched curiously and all at once he hugged her around the waist, clinging to her the same way Yazoo did when he had a bad dream.

Though it had been several months now, and Aerith had moved into a proper house with the boys and Nanaki, she could still sense their unease. Angeal had found her the house. The house was beautiful with hard wood floors, two stories, four bedrooms, and a yard with a garden perfect for her flowers. The best part had been when she found out Tifa and Zack lived only a few houses down from her.

Aerith continued to work out of her flower shop, every once in a while she'd see one of her new guardians keeping watch, and it was always the same two. The loud red head or his bald, stoic friend. She took the boys with her everywhere, afraid she'd lose them if she let them out of her sight for even a moment. Loz and Kadaj didn't seem to mind helping around the shop, and Yazoo was simply happy to have Aerith near by. It wasn't a normal life, but it was a start at least.

"Kadaj…" She murmured gently as he slowly released his grip. He smiled briefly and nodded before running out the door toward Loz and Yazoo.

Tifa had invited them over for dinner to celebrate six months with the boys. Aerith was more than a little nervous for entirely different reasons. Tifa had invited Sephiroth, Angeal, and Vincent to attend. The last time she met Sephiroth he was quiet and seldom said much, though he seemed acutely aware of her anytime she spoke or even moved from room to room. He had been her blind date, and she was far from unhappy with Zack and Tifa's choice, however she had always assumed he was out of her league.

"We ready!" Yazoo squealed delightedly as he came running down the hallway toward Aerith, a small yellow flower held delicately between his thumb and fore finger. "I got for you." He blushed, handing her the flower. Aerith felt her heart warm at the gesture.

"Thank you, sweetheart. It's beautiful." She carefully tucked the flower behind her ear and smiling once more at the boy. "Then we should be off, Tifa will be quite upset if we're late." Aerith gathered Yazoo up into her arms.

"Where's 'Naki?" He jerked his head around, his silver hair flying around wildly as he did.

"He's already there, hon. Come on now, we should hurry." She followed Kadaj and Loz out the front door, and down the street to Tifa's home.

She smiled to herself as she watched the older boys walking ahead, chatting idly with one another as though they had nothing in the world to worry about. Yazoo smiled to himself as he toyed with a wayward strand of her hair, happily humming to himself as they walked.

As they reached Tifa's patio she was greeted by Nanaki, who had been lying down outside. She could make out Zack's voice, Cloud's chuckle, and Tifa shouting from somewhere further off. She was about to knock when the door flew open.

"Aerith! You made it." Zack smiled brightly at her, wrapping her small frame into a tight hug. She giggled at him, squirming to get away.

"Hello Zack." She said with a laugh. "For Gaia's sake, let me go will you?" She smirked as he took a step back.

"Hey guys, you've got a special visitor today." Zack grinned as all three boys gave happy cheers.

"Who is it?" Loz asked, giving the empty hallway behind Zack a quick survey, Kadaj clapping him on the shoulder with a shared sense of excitement.

"An old friend." Was Cloud's quiet reply. Zack nodded and smiled as the boys broke into wild grins, Yazoo giggling uncontrollably.

"Who? Who?" Yazoo frowned when both men remained quiet, earning a chuckle as Zack ruffling his hair affectionately.

"Why don't you three go find out?" Zack shoved Kadaj through the door, Loz carried Yazoo and dutifully followed his older brother.

"Who…?" Aerith grinned as she watched the three disappear around the corner.

"Sephiroth." Zack said with a grin, noting that her cheeks tinged pink. "He's been waiting quite patiently to speak with you again."

"Tifa warned me he would be here, I just hoped he would decline." She said with a half frown. "How does he know the…oh, right." She stopped herself from asking, remembering full well why he would know the boys.

"It'll be alright, he's rather fond of intelligent and beautiful women." Cloud offered her a half wave before quietly following Zack down the steps of the home.

"Ha, will you two be back soon?" She asked as she turned her attention to the lilies Tifa had planted by the door.

"Yes, Angeal had a last minute debriefing." Cloud gave a noncommittal shrug. "Just more bullshit we have to sit through."

"Politics." Zack made air quotes with his fingers. "It wont take long, go on in and enjoy yourself." He gave her a sly grin. Aerith frowned at him, her face flushing as she turned and hurried inside.

Quietly she made her way into the house, she followed the sound of the boys laughing and talking until she'd found them in the back room. She stood for a moment just watching them. The way they interacted with the silver haired General and each other. Yazoo, who had perched himself beside Sephiroth with a look of total admiration, glanced up and caught her eye. For a moment they simply smiled at one another while Sephiroth spoke to Kadaj and Loz, completely unaware of her presence. Carefully Yazoo slipped loose and made his way to her, his arms held up. Aerith scooped the boy up, kissing his cheek gently as he hugged her. Suddenly the room grew silent as she suddenly became very aware of the others in the room. Sephiroth met her own jade eyes with a playful smirk.

"I see Yazoo has grown fond of you…" She was a bit taken aback by his demeanor. She had forgotten how beautiful his deep voice was. Yazoo smiled up at her and her heart did a funny thing.

"Oh, shoot!" Tifa shouted from the kitchen, rushing in to the living room and startling Aerith. "I didn't know you were here already." She gave her friend an apologetic smile. "Sephiroth, you remember Aerith. Aer, General Sephiroth Crescent." He smiled politely as he rose to greet her properly, extending his hand.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Miss Gainsborough." She flushed crimson as she took his hand, marveling in the strength of his grip.

"Aerith, please. It is very nice to see you again." Kadaj gave her a cheeky grin, and two thumbs up. Tifa smirked at that and after a moment of basking in her little victory, she decided to save her friend. Sephiroth frowned at her just as she was about to speak.

"Tifa, I've told you before, just Sephiroth is fine." Tifa rolled her eyes at him and gave him a wry grin.

"I'm sorry, _Sir. _I'm going to need her help in here…do you mind?" Tifa motioned toward the kitchen where something delicious was being prepared.

"Of course not, I'm sure we will have plenty of time to talk later." He gave her another roguish smile before turning his attention back to Kadaj and Loz, Tifa noted a brief look of surprise passing his features as Yazoo followed Aerith, clinging to the her hand.

Once in the safety of the kitchen Tifa found herself being accosted by flying dinner rolls. "Hey, hey! I need those!" She half laughed as Aerith fumed, grumbling something unintelligible at her before laughing herself as Yazoo, too, made a feeble attempt to throw a roll at Tifa. "Sorry, I couldn't chance telling you who it was until the last minute, other wise you wouldn't show up. I know how much of a coward you are when it comes to these things."

"I resent that!" She hissed, hands on her hips in defiance. The first time she'd met him she'd been as nervous as a school girl. This time she felt twice as nervous and her stomach did something funny when he shook her hand. "You gave me enough notice that I _could _have found time to decline dinner." Tifa grinned at her friend.

"Well? Come on, he's handsome and charming…" Tifa wiggled her eyebrows suggestively earning a deep blush and giggle from Aerith.

"Fine, he's potentially charming, but that man is not interested in a little flower girl from the slums." She pointed accusingly toward the other room. "He's a five star General with a history of being cold and rude, he's irrationally handsome, and besides all that I don't need any more _men_ in my life! Quit trying to set me up with these preposterous people." She threw her hands up in defeat.

"Irrationally, huh? Should I go out there and tell him to ugly himself up right quick, the _flower girl _doesn't like it?" Another dinner roll breezed by Tifa's head. "I'll take that as a no." Tifa grinned. "You do seem quite taken with him, you only turn that particular shade of 'pissed off' when you fancy a guy." Tifa pointed out with a smug smile.

"Shut up…" Aerith muttered, grinning half heartedly as Yazoo tugged at her dress. "Yes, dear."

"I wanna see Naki." He smiled mischievously up at her.

As if on queue, Nanaki came padding into the kitchen. Yazoo ran to him, giving him a head bump in greeting before climbing onto his back.

"Yaz, that's not n-" Aerith was interrupted by a shake from Nanaki.

"It's fine, I don't mind the boy." He glanced back at him. "Hold on tight, small one." Yazoo fisted his little hands in is fur as Nanaki trotted out toward the other boys, Yazoo squealing in delight. She couldn't help but smile at the boys, all laughing and wrestling with Nanaki.

She glanced over at the silver haired general to find him with an easy smile, lounging comfortably on the couch as he watched the boys play. She felt the butterflies increase tenfold when his eyes met hers. She blushed, nodding in acknowledgement before turning to duck back into the safety of Tifa's kitchen.

"A word, Miss Aerith?" He intoned politely behind her. She turned slowly, smiling pleasantly back at him. He held open the French doors leading to the back patio, indicating he'd like her to join him outside. She went out, suddenly overcome by the sweet scent of flowers in bloom. Tifa had become quite the green thumb herself, taking in all the flowers of the seasons that Aerith hadn't sold or felt were too special to become someone's bouquet. There were lilacs, lilies, freesia, roses of all colors and sizes, and a star jasmine decorating the railing around the patio.

"She's done quite well with all those flowers you send her. Zack seems quite proud of the garden himself." Sephiroth noted as he delicately examined one of the roses.

"I hate to see all those flowers go to waist so I take them home or send them to her. Yuffie is entirely too carefree for these sorts of flowers. They require a different type of love and care to grow so beautifully." She smiled at a smaller lily, taking in the honey sweet scent.

"You, I hear, have quite a way with plants." Sephiroth took a seat at that patio table. Tifa had ordered it from a specialty shop. It was made of Gongaga mahogany, the finest wood in the world. It was a beautiful rusty brown and smooth to the touch. It was known for it's durability and the fact that it retained it's earthy scent for years.

"Every girl needs a hobby." She smiled shyly, taking a seat beside him and trying her best not to let her nerves get the better of her.

__xXx__

"What do you think they're talking about?" Yuffie asked Loz, peering over his right shoulder out at Aerith and Sephiroth as they were laughing outside. "She's been out there for, like, hours!" Yuffie whispered.

Kadaj shoved himself in next to Yuffie's right arm beneath her and next to Yazoo while Tifa was next to Loz's left arm.

"It's only been thirty minutes, Yuf." Tifa whispered back.

Nanaki huffed in annoyance behind them at not being able to see whatever it was they were looking at while trying to maintain that they should not be "spying" on their friends private conversation.

"Shh, Naki, they gonna heared you!" Yazoo turned putting a finger to his lips and comically trying to tell Nanaki to stop huffing at them.

"So, what's so interesting outside?" Zack chuckled at the sight of all of them with their faces stuck to the glass of one of the windows.

"Shut up or you'll ruin the moment. Sephiroth and Aerith are talking, well laughing mostly…" Tifa waved him over. Zack leaned over her shoulder while Cloud leaned over Yuffie, Angeal standing on his tip toes from a little ways back, while Genesis chuckled. To which everyone turned and shushed him.

"This is history in the making, Genesis. Sephiroth found someone who will smile at him without being threatened to do so. Wow, she's even laughing…I didn't know he could be funny." Zack whispered down to Tifa.

"I've never seen him crack a smile at anything that didn't involve him kicking something's ass." Cloud stated quietly.

"What'cha all lookin' at?!" Barrett entered the room, practically shouting at everyone in the window. Tifa jumped, bumping Zack in the jaw, who jerked sideways and elbowed Cloud in the ribs. Cloud doubled over onto Yuffie who tried to move out of the way and knocked Loz over, which sent Kadaj off balance, thus bringing everyone down almost on top of Yazoo, who was yanked out of the way by Nanaki. Thanks to all the noise both Aerith and Sephiroth came rushing into the room to see everyone in a heap by the window they'd just been looking out.

"Is everyone…hey! Were you guys staring at us?!" She went from terrified to upset so fast it surprised Tifa, who was giggling uncontrollably from the bottom of the pile.

Genesis knelt gave Kadaj a hand up, Zack helping Tifa up from the ground as she tried to stifle her laughter. "I'm sorry, Aer. We were just curious." Tifa said with a sheepish smile.

Barrett stood for a moment, Marlene and Denzel on either side of him. "What'n the hell jus' happened?" He kept looking from one person to the next, waiting for an explanation.

Aerith glanced at Tifa who tried her hardest not to laugh. "Nothing, Barrett." She chuckled, swatting Tifa for good measure. "They were just acting like fools again." Aerith made her way over, allowing herself to be wrapped in a bear hug by the larger man as both kids hugged her around the middle.

"Well, it's good ta see ya. Thanks fer inviting us, Teef." Barrett grinned at her as she tried to wipe the silly smile off her face.

"Woo, well tonight is off to a wonderful start." Tifa smiled, nudging Yuffie when Vincent entered behind Barrett. "Everyone is here and smiling…except for Vincent, who for whatever reason, refuses to do so." Tifa gave her best serious face, which earned a small smirk from the stoic man.

"I am simply frugal with my emotions, Miss Lockhart." He replied with a slight nod.

"Uh huh…whatever Vince. You should smile at least once a day, or once a month in your case." Tifa waved him off when he rolled his eyes at her. "I saw that."

"You did nothing of the sort, you had turned your back to me." Vincent remarked.

"I felt it." She winked, looping her arm with Zack's. "Well, now that you're all in here, lets eat!"

Dinner went well, in Tifa' opinion. Aerith sat beside Sephiroth, chuckling occasionally when he remarked quietly about whatever was being said. The kids all sat together at the end of the table, trying their best to emulate the adults. Tifa smiled, nodding toward them when Marlene tipped her glass toward Denzel before taking a delicate sip of her milk.

"She's gonna be jus' like you when she's all grown, at least that's what she keeps on tellin' me." Barrett smiled at her when she looked up, earning himself a toothy grin from the girl.

"Nah, she's going to be much nicer than I ever was." Tifa smirked at Cloud who caught at joke.

"Yeah, she wont give her friends black eyes and fat lips." Cloud managed to doge a small tomato. "What a roll model you are, Teef." Aerith swatted his arm. "What?"

"She clearly can't reach you and as her best friend it is my sworn duty to swat at people who make wise cracks at her while out of reach." Aerith grinned at him. She felt her cheeks redden as Sephiroth chuckled beside her.

"Is that so?" She turned and nodded, a demure smile playing at the corners of her mouth as she took a small sip of the wine to avoid talking.

"She's going to be a real heartbreaker when she gets older." Everyone nodded, chuckling at Genesis as he took another bite of his salad, easily redirecting the attention from Aerith. Had she known him for longer than that evening she could have hugged him.

By eleven everyone was full and happily on their way home. Sephiroth and Aerith being two of the last to leave.

"Would you mind if I walk you to your door?" He asked, Yazoo snoozing happily with his head resting on his shoulder. Aerith smiled brightly, nodding once.

"I would like that." She turned to Tifa, who was giving her the thumbs up sign behind the Generals back. "Thank you for dinner, it was lovely." She hugged her and Zack before waving to Yuffie and Vincent. "Nice to see you again, Mr. Valentine." She nodded her head toward him.

"And you as well, Miss Gainsborough." He answered politely.

"Call me tomorrow, Aer. I have something for you that only you would appreciate." Yuffie winked playfully.

"I will, Yuf. Have a good night." And with that she was out the door and heading home with Sephiroth.

"Sweet Leviathan, Tifa. I do believe that girl is smitten." Yuffie took a last drink of her wine. "And I must say you did a damn good job setting those two up. Anyways, I should be off, gotta get the cats fed and ready for bed."

"What exactly does that entail? Tell me you don't dress them up." Tifa frowned at the thought of six cats in stripped pajamas.

"I'm not that weird with the cats. I have to feed them, change the water, empty the litter boxes, shake out their bedding and sweep their room out. Otherwise it smells pretty funky." Yuffie wrinkled her nose.

"You do that every night?" Zack eyed her disbelievingly.

"Yup, can't let up or they'll make a huge mess in an act of protest. Just because I don't take care of my junk doesn't mean I treat my cats poorly. They have feelings too, you know." She jabbed him in the chest with a finger.

"Zack, leave the cat talk to me, honey." Tifa turned him away with a playful swat. "Thanks for coming, Yuf. I'll see you next week. I'm going to close the bar for a few days. Barrett has to go out of town until Monday so I'll be watching Marlene and Denzel."

"Nice, if you need help or someone to entertain them call me up." Yuffie waved over her shoulder, practically bouncing down the steps. Tifa was about to turn around when Vincent snuck by her.

"Good evening, Tifa. Thank you for dinner, it was quite enjoyable." He smiled politely at her.

"Thanks, Vince. You know, you really should try expanding your vocab. You sound like an old fuddy duddy when you talk like that." She shook his hand as he turned to leave.

"I _am_ an old fuddy duddy, Miss Lockhart." He smirked back at her. Catching up to Yuffie. She watched them for a moment. She didn't think he ever really talked to the younger woman, and yet here they were walking home together and talking amiably.

"Did I miss something." Tifa turned, running her hands along Zack's chest and kissing him on the chin.

"Only the whole evening. They've been making eyes at each other for weeks, sweet heart. I was sworn to some sort of creepy secrecy by Vince, but I'll tell you this. He's taken her out to dinner three times…" Zack smirked at the look of surprise. "And he enjoyed her company all three nights." He chuckled as she smacked his arm

"What, he was asking for advice on where to eat. I was aloud to know just that he enjoyed her company and he liked going out to dinner with her." Zack raised his hands defensively.

"I'm not mad, just surprised you could keep that to yourself for so long." Tifa smirked as she made her way to their bedroom. "It's cute, really. Yuffie is just the right amount of happy for him. He needs someone who is as upbeat and positive as she can be." Zack nodded in response, following her down the hall and to their room.

She pulled some pajamas out, taking her shirt off to change. She froze when she felt his warm hands on her hips. "You know, I haven't properly thanked you for a wonderful evening, _Miss_ _Lockhart_." Zack whispered against her neck.

"Hmm…and how do you plan to do that?" He spun her around, capturing her lips in a heated kiss as he flicked the lights off. "That's a good start…" She gasped as he easily lifted her onto the bed, kissing her senseless.

_

_

Short and more or less to the point, but I couldn't find a way to fit anymore in here. It's really just a filler chapter...with a chance of romance. Hope you enjoy it, any helpful hints and reviews are always welcome. If it's really bad I'll take it down and fix it :)


End file.
